Screw Christmas, page 1
Table of Contents
Screw Christmas
Except from:
Bad Roommate
Never room with a playboy. Words to live by. Unfortunately, I seemed to have missed that memo. When Carrington Anderson shows up on my doorstep applying to become my roommate, I’m immediately shook. He doesn’t remember who I am, but I sure as hell remember him.
He’d broken my heart and been part of the reason my high school years had been complete and utter torture for me. I still dealt with the emotional and mental damage high school had inflicted upon my psyche.
Now ten years later, a hundred and fifty pounds lighter and adorned with more tattoos than a sailor, I wasn’t even close to being the same girl I’d been back then. The girl I used to be died a long time ago.
I thought I could resist his charms this time, but I was sorely mistaken. As we got to know each other all over again, I feared he’d destroy my heart a second time around.
Table of Contents
Description:
That’s right. You heard me correctly. Christmas can go take a flying… Well, you get where I’m going with this.
At one point in my life, the holidays were my favorite time of year—a time to decorate with sparkly lights, visit loved ones, and indulge in a family feast without guilt. But for me, closing in on forty, single with no kids, stuck arresting criminals through the holidays this year was going to bite. My Christmas plans consist of spiked eggnog and time with my tomcat who may or may not stand me up for the female kitty down the street.
But when my ex-stepbrother shows up unexpectedly on Christmas Eve looking for a place to stay while in the city, things take an interesting turn. We haven’t seen each other since we were teenagers, but this new and improved Dylan just might be what jingles my bells this Christmas.
Copyright Notice
Screw Christmas
by Terry Towers
Published by Terry Towers
Soft and Hard Romantic Publishing
Copyright © 2021 Terry Towers
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact: terrytowers@hotmail.com
Printed in Canada
1st Edition
Screw Christmas
By
Terry Towers
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Chapter 1
Maya
“What are your big plans for Christmas?” I asked my partner as the squad car rolled to a stop in front of my apartment building in Manhattan.
“Jill and I are going upstate to spend the week with the in-laws.”
I gave my partner, Travis, a nudge with my elbow. “So, the in-laws are more important than your partner, huh? I see how it is. Leaving me with a rookie for a week is just evil.” Smiling, I gave him a wink. I didn’t begrudge him getting the week off, we worked an insane number of hours, and he needed this down time with his family. It seemed the criminals in New York had their hearts set on making sure we earned every cent of our paychecks the past month. The holidays were a challenging time to be a cop. It didn’t mean I couldn’t bust his balls about it a little bit though.
“You’re welcome to stop in on your days off. Take the bus up and I can grab you at the station. It’s a nice home, secluded. Not a single criminal for miles.” He teased putting the car into park. “You know you’re like family to Jill and me.”
My heart warmed a little, Travis and his wife were as close to family as I had in this city, but I shook my head. “Nah. Thank you though. I might just take some overtime and work all the way through New Year’s. Give someone who would like to spend time with their family and friends the opportunity.”
“We worry about you, Maya. You work way more than you should to maintain your sanity. You’ll either burn out or become bitter and hateful towards the world and the people in it. I’ve seen it plenty of times over the years.”
“I know. But I’m perfectly fine and if you didn’t notice by now, I’m already bitter. I’ll take some time to go home to see Mom in Seattle in a few months maybe. For the time being, work is what I have to keep me sane.”
His eyes narrowed at me. “Why don’t I believe you? When did you last go back home to see your mother?”
I grimaced, as guilty as sin of what he was accusing me of. “Okay, you’ve got me, I haven’t had a vacation or been home in over three years. Criminals don’t care if I’ve had time off or not.”
“Yes, well, there are more people on the force. Doesn’t always have to be you answering the calls. I promise, there are lots of skilled cops working with us. That rookie they are pairing you up with has protentional from what I hear.”
Unclicking my safety belt, I gave him another smile. “I know there are. As for the rookie, I’ll be the judge of that. How about I make it my New Year’s resolution to start dating? Can’t promise anything will come of it, but I’ll make an effort, would that make you happy?”
“Definitely would. It’s about time you’re forced to endure your own set of hellions running around, breaking all your shit and spending all your money.”
I grinned. “You make it sound so enticing. Can’t believe I’ve been missing out on that all these years.” Hand on the doorhandle, I gave it a tug. “Thank you again. I’ll see you in a week or so.”
He nodded. “Take care of yourself.”
“You too.” Getting out, I slammed the door shut and watched the squad car pull out into traffic just as a light dusting of snow kicked up and began to cover me. A cool breeze hit me sending a chill down my spine causing a shiver to vibrate my body despite the layers of clothing protecting me. Turning from the street, I made my way into my apartment building.
“Happy holidays, Officer Holland,” Kevin the building security said as I approached, giving me a wide smile and pushing the Santa hat on his bald head back a bit. Kevin was a retired New York City cop who lived in the building and came out of retirement a few months ago to take on the hybrid role of doorman and security. He felt working kept him young.
“Happy holidays.” The heaviness in my heart made it hard to pull off a smile, but I managed. There was more to why I didn’t go home to see my mother, or why I didn’t invite her up. I just didn’t want to admit it to my partner. It was too embarrassing.
“Busy tonight?”
“Not so much, guess after a month of hell, they decided to cut us a break since it’s Christmas Eve. I think they’re all saving the crazy for New Year’s Eve. Gotta amp themselves up, ya know.”
He nodded. “No doubt. Can’t say I miss that part of the job. Working during the holidays more often than not, that is. And coming home angry and frustrated. It can be very disheartening. During the holidays, I think it’s less the criminals as it is seeing the homeless wandering the streets without a place to go or someone to go to.”
“Tell me about it. It’s not an easy holiday for a lot of people.” With a sigh, I added, “Merry Christmas. Tell Phillis that I gave my regards.”
“I will.” He smiled, his eyes twinkling. I took two steps away when he stopped me. “If you want come by tomorrow for a turkey dinner, you’re more than welcome.”
Stopping in my tracks, I gave him an appreciative smile. “Thank you. I’ll think about it. I’m gotta work a good chunk of the day tomorrow so I imagine I’ll just go to bed, but I’ll definitely keep that in mind if I have any energy left.”
He nodded and I proceeded to the elevator and pressed the call button. The elevator dinged and I stepped in hitting the number ten. The elevator slowly made its way up the floors creaking a little as it moved. As we began to ascend, I unzipped the police issue winter jacket, revealing a bulletproof vest underneath.
The elevator stopped and doors slowly slid open. Stepping into the corridor and making my way down the brightly lit hallway, I sighed. The property managers did an excellent job of decorating the building with twinkling white and red lights and wreaths on every door. Candy cane decorations and garland also lined the walls. If Christmas wasn’t so damned depressing for me, I’d have thought it was charming. But all it did was remind me of how at thirty-eight I was without a child and oh-so single. It was depressing. It wasn’t surprising that Christmas was the time of break-ups and suicide. For a lot of people, the loneliness was just too much to handle.
I pulled my keys that were attached to my utility belt from the clip and inserted the apartment key into the door. The lock gave way with a click, and I entered, kicking the door closed with the heel of my boot as I shrugged out of my jacket and bulletproof vest.
Hanging up the vest and jacket on a hook next to the door, I proceeded to remove the utility belt and massive amount of gear I had to wear each day. Just functioning each day with all this shit weighing me down was a work-out in itself, let alone trying to chase down a criminal with it all on.
Finally free of the burden with all my equipment hung neatly on the hooks by the door, I headed into the kitchen. Making a quick tuna sandwich, I heard a soft meow coming from my tabby cat Buster who was purring and brushing against my leg.
“Guess this means you decided to spend Christmas Eve with me? Your girlfriend not around?” Buster appeared at the fire escape one day, cold and scraggly, about a year ago, shortly after my break-up with my last ex. I’d taken him in, gotten him neutered and fed to good health, but he still screeched to go outside until I gave in and opened the window for him to take a stroll around the neighborhood. Wild man at heart I suppose. Sometimes he’d be gone for a day or two, but it never concerned me, he always came back.
He meowed a second time and looked up at me, his green eyes as wide as saucers, begging for a bite. Breaking off a piece of sandwich, I tossed it to him. He caught it in mid-air and then scurried away to eat in private. Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge I made my way into the living room and plunked myself down onto the sofa snatching up the remote and flicking on the television. With any luck I could find a movie to allow me to escape for a few hours before I hit the sack for the night.
~*~ TT ~*~
Dylan
The airbrakes on the bus hissed as it came to a stop at the Greyhound station jolting me awake. Sitting up in my seat, I was relieved to see the man who had been sitting next to me reeking of alcohol and chewing tobacco had vacated at some point along the way. Looking around I was shocked to see we were already in Manhattan. Damn, had I really slept that long?
Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I waited until the bus was almost entirely unloaded before getting up and making my way down the aisle. I was taking a massive gamble coming here with a minimal amount of money in the bank and nowhere to stay for the next few weeks until I found a source of income.
“No guts, no glory,” I murmured as I reached the front of the bus, gave the bus driver a nod, and departed. The night had grown chilly, and the snow had started to come down fast and heavy. Pulling my hood up over my head, I lined up behind a couple dozen other people to retrieve my duffle bag filled with all my belongings. The sadness in the fact that the entirety of my belongings could be fit into a single duffle was not lost on me. Forty years old and I was still living like a young vagabond in his twenties about to chase a dream that had a very low chance of success—but I had to try.
Once I had my duffle in hand I headed for the subway. I’d made a note of the directions to get to my stepsister’s building from the depot before I left Seattle in case my phone shit the bed or ran out of juice before I go there. I found it without incident, the journey from the depot to her place took just over twenty minutes to complete.
Verifying the building number with the one my father had given me, I entered, immediately greeted by a balding, elderly man wearing a security uniform and a Santa hat. The security officer came around the desk to greet me, I took note of his height which was roughly six feet, like myself, but he had a few extra pounds around his mid-section. There was a presence about him as he gave me a quick up and down that told me he wasn’t messing around. Maybe a retired cop, or something of the sort. Maybe military at one point. I’d been around law enforcement enough over the years—and not in a good way—to be able to pick one out of a line-up.
“Can I help you?”
“Yes, actually. I’m here to see Maya Holland.”
“Uh-huh.” He gave me another up and down look, this time a little slower, more critical, crossing his arms over his chest. “She expecting you?”
“No.” I chuckled and pushed the hood off my head. “It’s a Christmas surprise. I’m her brother.” Well, sort of, but not really. Not anymore. Though I kept that information to myself.
The other man huffed. “News to me that she has a brother. What’s your name? You got ID?” The security officer rounded the desk and began typing on the computer in front of him. “Are you on her approved visitor’s list?”
Not likely…
I hesitated a moment before pulling my black leather wallet from my back pocket. “We haven’t seen each other for a while, and I wanted to surprise her. I’m her stepbrother if we’re going to get technical. If I could just go up that would be super. I promise I’m not some sort of crazy.”
Pulling my Washington state driver’s license from my wallet I passed it to him. I wasn’t sure how she was going to react with me just showing up and was hoping the element of surprise would be in my favor. We hadn’t parted ways on great terms. We had been teenagers though, surely she wouldn’t hold a grudge after all these years.
The guard accepted the card from me and looked it over with scrutiny. “The policy is for us to call up to ensure you’re expected…” He looked from the card pinning me with a hard stare. “And wanted.”
“I assure you. It’s all on the up and up. I traveled cross-country to surprise her for the holidays. I’d hate for the surprise to be ruined by a call up to her.” I gave him another smile and then pulled out my phone. Quickly, I scrolled though my photos until I found one of us as a family—Maya, myself, my father and her mother and then showed him the phone. “That’s all of us at Christmas when we were teenagers.”
The guard looked back down at the ID and then up at me. Why couldn’t the doorman have been a doorwoman? I was much better at persuading the opposite sex.
Chapter 2
Maya
“Well, Merry Christmas to us,” I grumbled as I stroked Buster’s fur while he purred lightly on my lap. He was being especially affectionate tonight. Maybe he was sensing my loneliness. Normally, I didn’t care about being alone—at least that’s what I tried to make myself believe—but the holidays always kicked me where it hurt, especially after last Christmas when Aaron gave me the worst Christmas present ever, a one-way ticket to the single life and the humiliation of being replaced by one of our co-workers.
I’d already switched my uniform for a pair of pajamas for the sake of being comfy. In an attempt to be festive, I opted for a fleece pair of Christmas Gremlins pajamas.
Grabbing the remote, I flicked through the televisions channels and then eventually went to my pre-bought movies, scrolling until I found the first Gremlins movie and selected it. I was already partially through watching it from last Christmas so upon pressing play it immediately cut to the scene where Spike was wearing a Santa hat. The Gremlins movies were my Christmas Eve tradition, which dated back to my childhood.
Grabbing Buster, I lifted him from my lap despite his snarl of protest and placed him on the sofa next to me. Getting up, I made my way to the kitchen, opened the overhead cabinet, and grabbed a bottle of popcorn kernels. Setting up the countertop air popper, I poured more kernels into the popper than I really needed and started it up.
I was about to begin melting the butter when a knock at the door came, giving me a start. Unexpected guests never made it past Kevin. Tossing the butter onto the counter, I walked a few steps and in true introvert fashion craned my head around the corner to look at the door unsure of what to make of it, almost thinking someone had knocked on the wrong door.
The knock came again.
Phillis… The doorman’s wife wouldn’t take no for an answer, I bet. Releasing the breath, I’d been holding, I smiled as I walked into the foyer and opened the door without looking through the peephole to verify the person on the other end. This building was quite good at keeping riffraff out, especially with Kevin on the alert. If it was an intruder my gun was within arm’s length and I had no problem using it, so they picked the wrong apartment to pull that shit.
Opening the door wide, the smile quickly left my lips as I looked at the man on the other side of the threshold. He had a wool cap tugged down over his head, but I could see some soft dark curls poking out from under the knit edge. His jaw was square, sporting a few days’ worth of growth. But it was his eyes that threw me. His eyes were a unique slate gray and oh-so familiar, but I couldn’t quite place why they looked so familiar. His three-quarter length navy blue wool jacket was unbuttoned with the large hood hanging from the collar. Underneath, he had a black turtleneck ribbed sweater and blue jeans. My mind took a mental note of every little detail in the matter of seconds. Whoever it was standing before me, I may need to be able to describe him if this went sideways.
It was then that I noticed the large duffle bag sitting on the floor at his feet. Large enough to carry a player’s complete set of hockey gear. I knew because many years ago my former stepbrother had played hockey. And football and lacrosse and just about every other sport on the planet. At fifteen, he’d carry a bag nearly as big as he was with all his gear in it.
